“It’s for the best, you’ll see,” Ethel’s husband reassured her with unwavering persistence. Ethel, easily influenced by his resolve, acquiesced to his wishes without much resistance. After all, what harm could a mere corset do? Though once a staple of nineteenth-century attire, by the 1920s, fashion had evolved, leaving behind the constricting confines of the corset. William Granger harbored a disdain for the shapeless dresses of the era, lamenting the lack of femininity they conveyed. Ethel, as was her nature, readily aligned herself with his sentiments. While suffragettes had long condemned the corset as a symbol of oppression, many English women, including Ethel Mary Wilson, adhered to tradition well into the early twentieth century.

The aftermath of World War I ushered in a new era of liberation for women, marked by the flaunting of legs, adoption of short haircuts, and preference for loose-fitting attire. Ethel, too, succumbed to this wave of newfound freedom, embracing bobbed hair and the freedom of movement afforded by loose skirts. Fate brought Ethel and William together, two unassuming individuals from Cambridge. Ethel’s unremarkable demeanor seemed to suit William, who perhaps sought a companion of quiet fortitude.

Their marriage in 1928 was followed by the birth of their daughter Virginia, and a relocation to Peterborough, where William taught and Ethel tended to their home. Yet, behind closed doors, William urged Ethel to return to the restrictive embrace of the corset, hidden beneath billowing dresses, citing his discontent with the modern fashion trends. Ethel, ever compliant, soon found herself bound once again by the lacing of the corset, striving tirelessly to achieve an impossibly tiny waistline.

Her transformation into a living embodiment of exaggerated femininity garnered both admiration and pity from those around her. As fashion trends shifted towards a more refined silhouette, Ethel’s extreme proportions drew criticism, yet she continued to push the boundaries of perfection at her husband’s behest. Embracing a new form of attention-seeking through piercings, Ethel adorned her body with countless ornaments, even captivating her husband with the allure of jewelry.

Despite warnings from doctors regarding the health risks, Ethel lived until the age of 77, her devotion to her husband unwavering until the end. Their daughter, Virginia, recoiled from her mother’s extreme practices, opting for a more ordinary existence devoid of such extremes. Ethel’s journey, marked by sacrifice and submission, epitomized her husband’s paramount importance in her life, transcending mere fashion or beauty ideals.